ABA Adopts Guidelines for Online Legal Document Providers

A principal at Nexant Inc., Rebecca Gaskin Gain has furnished financial solutions to government entities and companies around the globe for more than 20 years. Rebecca Gaskin Gain maintains membership to multiple professional organizations, including the New York State Bar Association, a voluntary state bar association.

According to a recent news release, the New York State Bar Association and the New York County Lawyers Association successfully proposed a resolution on best-practice instructions for online legal documents providers (OLP) to the American Bar Association (ABA). Titled the ABA Best Practice Guidelines for Online Legal Document Providers, the guidelines were approved by the ABA House of Delegates in August 2019.

The news release stated that OLPs fulfill a vital role in furnishing online legal documents at a low cost to individuals and businesses. At the same time, entities in the field of law have not been clear on how to address this service when OLPs operate without established guidelines. The new guidelines aim to rectify this. The guidelines encourage OLPs to ensure all instructions for filling out forms are worded in clear, plain language, and that the forms are lawful in their intended jurisdiction.